Professor Layton and the Lost Civilisation
by sora945
Summary: Professor Layton, Luke and Flora embark on a hunt for a lost treasure 2 years after the events of the Unwound Future. A group of mysterious men abduct Dr. Schrader and before long, the heroes find themselves on a hunt for a lost city. Please R&R...
1. Prologue: The Letter

Professor Layton and the Lost Civilisation

_Prologue: The Letter_

"To my good friend,

I can still remember just a few months ago when me and the professor first met Mrs Sparta at the professor's office in London. Little did we know, the events that would occur as a result of that fated meeting and the terrible crime that was committed shortly afterwards would lead us into our greatest and toughest adventure yet!"

Luke put down his pen and turned to look at the professor sitting with his eyes closed in the armchair behind him. He seemed to be deep in thought, turning over some new unknown puzzle in his mind. Luke recalled his return to London once more as the professor's apprentice just a year after their infamous time travel case and the mystery they had become involved with shortly afterwards. He picked up the pen again.

"It is hard to believe even now that it all started on that day so long ago. We received a letter from Crystal Sparta, wife to the famous and elusive millionaire Gregory Sparta who owns the entirety of Sparta Industries. Everyone had heard of her legendary beauty of course and so the professor and I were anxious to meet her in person and see it for ourselves.

The letter spoke of some form of inheritance dispute, similar to the case we had in the village all that time back. However, this promised treasure was to be rendered unimportant in comparison to the true meaning behind the journey we would be forced to embark upon! But for now, I guess I should start at the beginning.

I'd barely had enough time to prepare tea when there was a knock on the door and we heard Dean Delmona call from outside, "Professor, Mrs Crystal Sparta is here to see you!"


	2. Chapter 1: The Millionaire's Wife

**Author's Note:**

**This chapter contains the first and second of many puzzles which will be placed in the story as it occurs. These two are both invented by me and while they may appear to be challenging at first, they are definitely solvable with careful and logical examination. Hints follow further down in the text if you need them and then the solution even further down. Good luck and enjoy the story!**

**

* * *

**_Chapter One: The Millionaire's Wife_

Crystal Sparta was beautiful and she knew it. She knew it because the papers constantly published pictures of her in various locations all over the world where she travelled. She knew it because men turned their heads to stare in awe at her in the street. She knew it because her husband had spent months trying to win her affections and pampering her with gifts before finally proposing to her. So when she entered the office of Professor Layton at Gressenheller University, she was not surprised to see the astonished and smitten looks on the faces of Layton and his apprentice.

Taking a few steps forward, she smiled and put out her hand for Layton to shake. He quickly re-gained his composure and took it.

"Mrs Sparta," Professor Layton said, "it is an honour to finally meet you. I understand you have to come to me for help with some kind of puzzle?"

"Why yes, Professor," Crystal replied, "but it is naturally a very delicate matter. Perhaps we could speak about it in private?"

With these words, she glanced towards Luke who was had been pouring himself a cup of tea from the couch at the back of the office. He was still in awe of the power and beauty that the woman standing in front of him was emanating.

"Ah, that is just my apprentice, Luke," Layton informed her, "Don't worry. Naturally, he won't tell anybody else of what we speak about here today. Do take a seat, Mrs Sparta."

"Crystal," she drawled, "You must call me Crystal if you are to take my case."

"Well," the Professor responded, "I will see if I decide to take your case before we begin speaking on first name terms."

They sat down around the small table, Layton taking the armchair and Crystal Sparta on the sofa next to Luke. He poured her a cup of tea and she raised it to her lips, sipping it gently and casting a careful eye over the professor and his apprentice.

"Now, what is it you wanted to talk to us about, Mrs Sparta?" questioned Layton. "In your letter, you mentioned your father passing away and leaving you behind a mysterious clue."

"Why yes, that is true..." Crystal admitted, "but before we go any further into this, I hope you don't mind if I test your intellect with a quick puzzle?"

"Do go ahead," Layton smiled, "Luke and I always enjoy a puzzle of any kind. Isn't that right, Luke?"

"Y-yes, Professor," stuttered Luke, "P-puzzling is our speciality of course!"

"Excellent," Crystal replied, "Well then, I do hope you'll take a quick look at this letter that my father wrote to me shortly before he died." She slid a piece of paper with handwriting on it across the table to Layton who examined the paper. It was covered in a string of apparently random letters and numbers:

* * *

**Puzzle 001 : What is the hidden message within this letter? (2 hints)**

UB1M2 NB1U4 C1E0CB2M5 EB1DB3R3A6A7M7D1YB7,

A5L3K1MB1L3V1 R2F2C2 A4NB1A4TB2A0L0A3 VB3T1K3

A0 GB1M2TB2XB4VB1K3GB2 K1G2A4TB1 VB2E3D1TB2C2

F1M2N1A3 G5ZB5GB4LB1

* * *

Layton examined the letter for a while and then looked up towards Luke who was also taking a careful but confused look over the mysterious jumble. Luke frowned and then looked up.

"I don't see it, Professor," Luke said, puzzled, "is there really a message in here somewhere?" Crystal smiled and leaned over towards the two to take another look at her father's handwriting.

"It puzzled me for quite a while," she said, "but after carefully looking over it, I finally cracked it with a little help from my husband."

"Yes, but I think I already have it, Mrs Sparta," Layton told her, "It's quite simple really."

"Really, professor?" asked Luke. "What is it?"

**Hint 1: "Look carefully at how the numbers and letters nearly always alternate, except when there are Bs."**

"So if the code is in words..." Luke considered, "the letters have got to be the key. But then what do the numbers represent and what do the Bs mean?"

**Hint 2: "If you're really stuck, take a look at the second word in the second line or the first word in the third line."**

"Ah-hah!" cried Luke at last. "I think I finally get the meaning behind this letter." The professor smiled and then wrote in the answer on a separate piece of paper lying on the table.

**

* * *

Puzzle 001 Solution:**

To my dear daughter, follow the emerald sun, a fortune lies there. Good luck.

_The key here is to move the letter the number of directions in the alphabet dictated by the number just after it. So for A1, the letter is B. For E2, the answer is G. For the letters that are followed by B and a number, they move in the opposite direction. So CB2 would be A and RB1 would be Q. Doing this with all the letters produces the above message..._

* * *

Crystal smiled and nodded as she read the message out again.

"To my dear daughter, follow the emerald sun, a fortune lies there. Good luck. I have no idea what it means of course, other than it must relate to the other piece of paper that was in the envelope my father left me." She passed another piece of paper to them which showed a map of England and some strange symbols linked by lines.

"Hmmm," the professor pondered, "another cryptic clue that should lead to this treasure. Have you managed to solve this one?"

"I'm afraid not," Crystal sighed, "But look at the top, there is a green circle drawn at the end of one of the lines, linked to the other line over the sea."

"Surely this is some kind of treasure map, Professor?" Luke suggested. "We have to follow the trail to find the fortune at the location of the emerald sun!"

"That certainly seems like the most probable possibility," Layton replied. "But I think Mrs. Sparta's eye has fallen on the strange pattern of lines and symbols. Some of these lines are longer than they need be to reach the location." Layton pointed out one of the lines which was shaped like a V using two lines, going between two points that could be reached with only one line.

"Yes, that is precisely it," Crystal told them, "I think my dear father hid something in this map but I don't know what it is..."

"Let me take a look at it again," said Luke.

**

* * *

Puzzle 002: What has Crystal's father concealed within the map? (3 hints)**

The pattern of symbols and lines reads as follows:

Building symbol, V shaped line with indent in middle, indent, Sign symbol, Single line, Palace symbol, Gateway symbol , indent, Tower symbol, V shaped line with indent in middle, Tree symbol, indent, Single line, indent, Cave symbol, Sea Symbol, indent, Arrow Symbol, Man symbol, Green Sun symbol.

* * *

"This one certainly is fiendish," said Layton, "but I think it is perfectly solvable."

"So you know the answer then, Professor?" asked Crystal excitedly, "What is my father trying to do here?"

"Take a look at the pattern again and think about it differently this time, Mrs Sparta."

**Hint 1: "Most of the information received here is irrelevant. The symbols themselves are not important to revealing the code."**

"I don't understand..." Crystal frowned, "Then what exactly is my father trying to show here if he is not guiding me through these locations?"

"Oh!" Luke said suddenly, "I think I've figured it out, professor!" Layton smiled.

**Hint 2: "Professor, the code here is actually a very well known code used to send messages using even lights, right?"**

"That is correct, Luke," the professor replied. "You have indeed figured it out."

"Care to fill me in, puzzle experts?" asked Crystal. "What is the message in this?"

**Hint 3: "Split the V shaped lines into two separate lines and then write out the arrangement as a series of lines and points, Mrs Sparta."**

Crystal took the piece of paper that Layton had used before and wrote it down as he had told her to do.

"Oh!" she said at last, "I see it now!"

**

* * *

Puzzle 002 Solution:**

Written out by Crystal Sparta, the message reads as follows:

Dot Dash, Dash, Dot Dash Dot Dot, Dot Dash, Dash Dot, Dash, Dot Dot, Dot Dot Dot

It is in fact a word in morse code which when translated reads out:

Atlantis

Did you know that most high speed communication used morse code at the start of the 20th century?

* * *

"Atlantis..." Crystal said as she looked at the strange new word. "The legendary island that lay in front of the Pillars of Hercules according to ancient historians."

"You seemed to be well informed on the matter," Layton remarked.

"It's funny..." Crystal pondered, "I actually studied the details surrounding it in great detail when I was younger under the encouragement of my father. But what is the word doing here?"

"Surely it can't be a map to this city, professor?" asked Luke.

"I should think not," Layton told him, "The pillars mentioned by Mrs Sparta are far from here and Atlantis was located in Greece, not anywhere near England."

"Yes, that is true," Crystal said, "Perhaps my father simply places it here for some other reason? Either way, you should keep it in mind upon this journey."

"I beg your pardon, Mrs Sparta," Layton said politely, "but I don't recall saying that I would take this particular case."

"Yes, Professor Layton," she replied, "so I ask you now if you will."

Layton rubbed his chin for a few seconds in thought as Luke twisted his head around, looking at the map on the table from various different angles. Layton glanced over towards a recent correspondence on his desk from his mentor, Dr. Schrader and then thought of Gregory Sparta and his great international success. Finally, the professor reached a decision.

"I am afraid that we will not be taking your treasure hunt, Mrs Sparta," Layton told her, apologising. Luke looked up in surprise at Layton. Crystal looked taken aback and her face contorted into confusion.

"Why ever not, Professor?" she queried rapidly, "Does this adventure not intrigue and interest you?"

"Naturally my intellectual curiosity is piqued by this situation but I am currently busy with another case for my mentor, Dr. Schrader," he told her. "And I am afraid that with your resources and already quite substantial wealth, you and your husband could search for this treasure yourself without any help from me."

"So..." Crystal said in thought, "I didn't expect a response like this. Are you sure you won't reconsider?"

"I am afraid not," Professor Layton told her, "I wish you the best of luck with finding the answers behind this. If you need me to solve any particular puzzles, feel free to send them my way."

"Thank you," Crystal said, standing up and picking up the map and letter, "but I don't think that will be necessary. I guess I will seek out someone else who can aid me in my quest to find this lost inheritance." She took a few steps towards the door and then turned.

"If you change your mind however, do come and speak to me at my home on Bell Street. The address is on the envelope I sent you."

"I will take that into account," Layton said, "Goodbye, Mrs. Sparta and the best of luck to you and your husband." Crystal nodded and opened the door, taking a glance back towards the professor and his apprentice as she walked down the hallway and out of the university.

"Professor, why didn't you take the case?" Luke asked, devastated.

"I think we have seen enough trouble recently and she does not need our help with this case, I believe," Layton told Luke, "besides, when we pay Dr. Schrader a visit tomorrow morning, I have a feeling that we may be involved with a very important scientific discovery!" Luke sighed and looked and the piece of paper that Layton and Crystal had written on.

Outside, the pigeons flew off the pavement as Crystal Sparta stepped into her car. She was very surprised to have been rejected by a man under this situation. She was not normally forced to face rejection of this kind.

"This Professor Layton certainly is one of a kind..." she thought, shyly fingering her ring as the car pulled away from the university and drove off down the road.


	3. Chapter 2: The Doctor is Out

_Chapter Two: The Doctor is Out_

Professor Layton had received the letter from his mentor, Dr. Schrader on the morning of the same day that he had met with Crystal Sparta. As usual, Dr. Schrader seemed hugely enthusiastic about some new 'scientific revelation' that he was working on and that he wanted Layton and Luke to come and see the 'incredible discovery' that he was on the brink of making. The letter concluded with a suggestion that they should both come to his apartment the morning after receiving the letter.

And so, on that morning, Layton arose early and quickly dressed, returning to his office to pick up some papers when he found an unexpected guest waiting for him.

"Flora!" the Professor said in surprise, "Whatever are you doing here so early?" Flora had been examining a painting on the wall and now quickly turned around to greet Layton.

"I hadn't seen you two in a while," she told Layton, "so I thought that I would stop by early and surprise you! Where is Luke this morning?" Layton smiled.

"What perfect timing!" he told her. "We are just about to go and see my old mentor, Dr. Schrader about what he claims to be a truly incredible scientific discovery. I'm sure that he will not mind if you want to come along with us." Layton thought upon how lonely Flora always seemed to be – as the daughter of Baron Reinhold, she had never had any real contact with those in the outside world and so had no friends at all of her age.

"I would love to, Professor," Flora replied, beaming. "Do you have any idea what type of thing this discovery could be?"

"I could hazard a few guesses, Flora," the Professor told her. "But I am afraid that we will not really know until we meet with Dr. Schrader in person." Layton stepped over to his desk and picked up some papers that he had received from Schrader a few weeks ago concerning some form of medical records. He suspected these might have some relation to what the doctor intended to show them today.

"Come along, Flora," he told her. "It will not do to keep the doctor waiting longer than is necessary." They stepped outside the building and walked around to where the Laytonmobile was parked near the back of the university. Luke was already sitting inside, studying a puzzle that he had found in one of the papers that morning. He looked up and was surprised to see Flora with Layton.

"Flora!" he exclaimed, "So you're coming with us to see Dr. Schrader then?"

"Indeed she is, Luke," Layton told him. "Quickly into the car, my dear. And Luke, be so kind as to move over to allow Flora room to sit down..." Luke hastily shifted onto the other seat as Flora took the one just behind the driver's seat. Layton opened the door and sat down, inserting his keys into the ignition. With a hasty splutter, the vehicle moved forwards and took to the road in front of the university as the Professor pulled away from the building.

As they hit the streets, Layton cast his mind briefly back to the meeting with Crystal Sparta on the previous day and wondered if she had found a replacement for him yet. He found it a struggle to get the strange word from the map out of his mind – 'Atlantis'. It seemed like an odd coincidence that Mrs Sparta had studied the topic in some detail as well.

Luke meanwhile was taking another look at the puzzle on the piece of paper in front of him. Flora leaned over to take a look at it.

"What do you have to do with this puzzle?" she asked Luke.

"The rules are simple," Luke told her.

**

* * *

Puzzle 003: Solve the Number Puzzle (1 hint)**

There are numbers arranged in a line as follows. What is the number that should be in the gap marked by the question mark?

1 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 5 - 8 - ? - 21

* * *

"Have you solved it already, Luke?" asked Layton from the front of the car.

"Of course, Professor!" Luke told him. "It's really quite an easy puzzle." Flora frowned and took a look at the sequence before finally getting it.

"Oh, I see," she said.

**Hint 1: "Finding the next number in the sequence involves the previous two numbers, doesn't it?"**

"That's quite right, Flora," said Layton. "So can you figure out what the number in the gap would be?" Flora thought for a moment and then took the pen from Luke.

"I'll just write it in here above the gap..." Flora said.

**

* * *

Puzzle 003 Solution:**

The number that Flora has written down is 13. It is correct.

To find the next number in the sequence, you must take the previous two numbers and add them together. Therefore, if they were 1 and 2, the next number would be 3.

This sequence is actually called the Fibonacci sequence and was used by the Italian mathematician of the same name to solve a rather perplexing puzzle himself in the 13th century.

* * *

By now, the Laytonmobile was in heavy traffic nearing the centre of London. Dr. Schrader's flat was located not far from its current location but it would still take a while to get there. Layton took his hands off the wheel and turned around to Luke and Flora.

"It seems as though we must wait in traffic for Dr. Schrader's incredible theory," he told them. "However, I think we may be able to cut our time shorter by choosing a certain road out of these three."

Luke pulled out a road map from the pocket in the car and took a look at it. Ahead, the Professor counted the number of cars in each road and how quickly the traffic lights changed...

**

* * *

Puzzle 004: Which road should the Laytonmobile take to get to Dr. Schrader's flat as quickly as possible? (1 hint)**

There are three roads, all of which lead to Dr. Schrader's flat. Each road is a different length and the traffic lights at the end take varying amounts of time to change. They will all change to 'go' in a few seconds. The cars in the street are on average 2m long and there is no need to count the length of the gaps between them. It takes 10 seconds for a car to pass through a traffic light and if it changes while a car is going through, that car may keep going.

The first road has a length of 10m and the traffic lights at the end take 30 seconds to change each time.

The second road has a length of 15m and the traffic lights at the end take 15 seconds to change each time.

The third road has a length of 9m and the traffic lights at the end take 45 seconds to change each time.

* * *

Luke studied the map carefully before circling the road and passing it to the Professor. Layton took a look at the map and then nodded to the boy.

"Excellent work, Luke," he told his apprentice. Flora frowned and then looked at the map and conditions of each road herself.

"Surely Road 2 will be the quickest?" she questioned them both. "It has a length 1 and a half times as long as Road 1 but the lights change twice as quickly."

**Hint 1: "That is true, Flora, but it also means that the amount of time spent waiting is considerably greater as well."**

"That is correct, Luke," said Layton as he turned the Laytonmobile towards the correct road. "If we had chosen Road 2, we would take us 1 minute and 50 seconds reach the end of the road."

"Then what is the correct answer?" asked Flora.

"Take a look at it this way," Luke told the girl.

**

* * *

Puzzle 004 Solution:**

The correct road to take is Road 3. The amounts of time to pass down each road are as follows:

Road 1 – 1 minute and 20 seconds

Road 2 – 1 minutes and 50 seconds

Road 3 – 50 seconds

Road 3 is clearly considerably quicker than either of the other two roads.

* * *

In just a short period of time, the trio found themselves in front of the apartment building where Dr. Schrader lived. Stepping outside and closing the doors of the car, Layton approached the doorway and pressed the button for Dr. Schrader's room. Before long, a voice came out of the speaker.

"Hershel?" Dr. Schrader called, "Is that you out there?"

"Yes, Doctor," the Professor spoke back down through the speaker. "I have brought Luke and Flora with me to witness whatever it is you wish to show me. Is that alright?"

"Yes, of course, Hershel," Dr. Schrader replied excitedly, "Do come in and up to my apartment!" The door clicked open and they stepped into the dingy, wooden hallway of the building which was lit by a few scattered lamps. A clock fixated at the top of the wall showed the time quite clearly as just about 11 o'clock. A figure who had been lurking at the far end suddenly stepped out, startling Flora who took a step back in surprise.

"Took your time to get 'ere, didn't you?" the gruff man questioned.

"Stachenscarfen?" Luke exclaimed, "What on Earth are you doing here?"

"I've come to give you a tutorial on hint coins," Stachenscarfen told the trio smartly. "Now when you try searching random ob-"

"I am afraid that will not be necessary," Layton interrupted the startled man, "we are not at present on any major adventure or journey, merely paying a trip to my mentor Dr. Schrader over something he has discovered. In addition, there is no need for any form of hint coin. Hints will be provided by my companions here and I am certainly capable of solving any form of puzzle on my own."

"What?" Stachenscarfen said angrily, "So I am not needed yet again? Hmm... what about picarats? When you complete a puz-"

"Good day, Stachenscarfen," Layton said as he began to climb the stairs leading up the landing above them followed closely by Luke and Flora who took quick glances to each other. Stachenscarfen stood fuming with anger for a few seconds before simmering down and looking around the foyer.

"Oh well," he sighed to himself, "Maybe the next person who comes in will want to hear about hint coins."

The next group that came in certainly had no interest in hearing anything that Stachenscarfen had to say. Their attention was focused fully on more important information...

* * *

Dr. Schrader opened the door and greeted Layton, Luke and Flora as they stepped inside the dingy study which he liked to call home. The whole room was covered with papers all over the floor, walls and even ceiling in some places. The usual artefacts and souvenirs from previous cases hung all over the room and sat on bookshelves, serving as a constant reminder to Dr. Schrader of his enriching past. On the desk sat a large pile of books and files, covered in annotations from the doctor from one of his many hours spent sitting there and pouring over the information inside each dusty tome. Dr. Schrader walked over to a window and pushed it open, beckoning to a small table with chairs in the corner where they could sit down.

"Hershel," Dr. Schrader began, "What I am about to suggest to you in this room must remain fully confidential until I am absolutely sure that my calculations are correct and my thesis has been fully published."

"I understand completely, doctor," Layton replied with a knowing smile on his face, "I understand you have been studying out in the countryside recently. Have you found something there that is related to this?"

"Correct as always, Hershel," Dr. Schrader replied and walked over to his desk, "but this discovery is not merely some sort of intellectual curiosity or other kind of minor discovery that one makes regularly if one studies carefully enough. No, what I have uncovered here may be about to save millions of lives all over the world."

"Oh my," Luke exclaimed, "That must be some revelation indeed!" Dr. Schrader nodded and then opened his desk drawer. Just as he did so, the buzzer for the speaker downstairs went off. Dr. Schrader pulled out a book, dusted it down and then walked over to the mouthpiece on the wall.

"Who is it?" he called into the pipe, "I am afraid that I am with company at the moment." A clear-cut voice quickly returned the remark.

"Dr. Schrader? I have a package for you. If I can just come up and give it to you, it will only take a second." Dr. Schrader's eyes lit up once more with excitement.

"Oh yes," he said, "Do bring it up at once. I'll unlock the door for you." Dr. Schrader pressed a button by the door and then stepped over to the table where Layton, Luke and Flora were sitting. "Take a look at this," he told them and passed them the book he had been holding. "I'll just be a second."

As Dr. Schrader opened the door and stepped out onto the landing, Layton placed the book down on the table and then opened it. It was some form of ancient medical book, detailing strange rituals of all kinds and curious religious ceremonies. Luke and Flora crowded round to look over the Professor's shoulder as he studied the diagrams carefully.

"I've never seen anything like this before..." the Professor remarked, "The book looks very old indeed, probably at least 2nd century BC, perhaps even older than that. I wonder why Dr. Schrader has this in his possession..."

"Perhaps he is studying the people that performed these rituals all those centuries ago?" suggested Luke, "although I don't see how that could save the lives of millions of people today." There were many more similar drawings in the book with very little actual writing.

"Take a look here," said Layton suddenly. "Look at the diagram here..."

**

* * *

Puzzle 005: What is the strange diagram? (No hints)**

The Professor pointed out a square grid consisting of 16 squares on the top right of a page in the book. Each of the squares either contained a triangle or a circle although some of the squares contained nothing at all. There is a line going through some of the triangles diagonally across the grid.

* * *

"Is this what I think it is?" Luke asked the Professor, "I didn't know that ancient people did this type of thing..."

"It certainly is quite humorous," Layton remarked with a smile.

"What are you two talking about?" asked Flora.

"It's quite simple really, my dear," Layton told her.

**

* * *

Puzzle 005 Solution:**

When drawn, the 'mysterious' diagram actually turns out to be a simple game of Tic Tac Toe drawn on the paper. Instead of crosses, triangles are used here and the line through the diagonal marks the winner with enough triangles in a row.

"Even ancient civilisations were bored sometimes, Luke."

* * *

Closing the book, Layton was about to place it down on the table when suddenly, a loud crash came from outside and the sound of Stachenscarfen's voice crying out some muffled words. The trio hesitated only for a few seconds before dashing outside to see that one of the stairs was broken and Dr. Schrader was lying bound and gagged at the bottom!

"What is this?" Layton cried out as they ran towards the stairs, only to come face to face with a hooded man wearing a strange mask. Luke tried to barge past the man but was knocked back against the far wall by his strength and fell to the ground where he sat dizzy.

"Who are you? What are you doing to Dr. Schrader?" Layton questioned the man but it was to no avail. Downstairs, more of the men were dragging Dr. Schrader up to his feet as he struggled against their grip. Layton panicked and looked around for something to use. Suddenly, an idea came to him and he reached into his pocket.

"I apologise profusely for this in advance," Layton said as he drew a pen out and then sprayed ink over the man in the mask who slipped and fell down the stairs, breaking even more of the steps. Grabbing Flora's hand and with a recovered Luke not far behind, Layton leapt down towards the bottom. Nearly tripping over Stachenscarfen who was lying on the ground, he dashed towards the door and flung it open.

Outside on the street, Dr. Schrader was being bundled into the boot of a car a few metres away. Noticing Layton rapidly approaching, the men quickly slammed the car shut and got in. By the time that they reached the car, the masked man in the front was trying to put the key into the ignition.

Layton threw ink all over the windscreen of the car and briefly disoriented the confused men. He dashed round towards the back and examined the lock on the boot. It was sealed with some kind of puzzle and even the great Professor Layton did not have enough time to solve it under the circumstances he was in. The wipers on the front screen suddenly whirred into action, pushing the ink out of the way as the car suddenly reversed backwards, narrowly missing the Professor and drove into the street.

"Quickly, into the Laytonmobile!" Layton cried as they all dashed towards where the beloved vehicle was parked just a space away from where the car of the masked men had been. Leaping inside, it sprung into action as they sped off in pursuit of Dr. Schrader's captors.

Swerving through the apartment blocks of the area, they kept hot on the tail of the mysterious men and gradually drew in closer, sealing the gap. They pulled out onto a main street, filled with traffic as the car ahead began to dangerously weave its way through the large amount of cars all waiting for the traffic lights to change.

Layton pushed down on the pedal and darted just to the left of a bus filled with people on their way to work that morning. Steering around a group of the familiar London taxis, he drew out parallel to the car that they were chasing. Flora saw one of the masked men inside turn towards them and panic. Suddenly, there was a loud rush of noise as a lorry came hurtling across the road just ahead of them, blocking their way off.

"We have them now, Professor!" Luke cried excitedly. However, he couldn't have possibly been more wrong. The car next to them swerved around and then across a tarmac ramp over some roadworks, it shot through the air and then to the amazement of everybody who saw it, a giant propeller shot out the top and the sides. Tearing away from the ground, the newly transformed heli-car shot away as the helpless Layton could do nothing but brake rapidly and watch.

"I knew we should have kept the Laytonmobile that Don Paolo built," Luke said angrily, "we'd have been able to continue the chase by air! What an adventure that would be!"

"Indeed, Luke," said Layton, "but I am afraid that this pursuit is most definitely over." The traffic had now been locked into an impossible to solve grid which meant that nobody was getting anywhere. Stepping out of the car, Layton stepped across to the side of the road and looked up towards a rapidly shrinking silhouette moving away through the sky.

"This is very bad," he thought to himself. "I think we ought to return to those apartments to take another look around..."

_

* * *

Unsolved Mystery Added:_

_The Abduction – A group of mysterious masked men abducted Dr. Schrader from his house in London for some unknown reason. What reason could they possibly have to stage such an elaborate heist?_

_

* * *

Unsolved Mystery Added:_

_The Masked Men – Who are the mysterious hooded men who have abducted Dr. Schrader and seem to want nothing more but to stand in the way of Layton and his companions? Who is their leader and where have they come from?_

**

* * *

Author's Note:**

**Many thanks to Amu-ChanxKaname for the positive review! I hope you enjoy this chapter. Another old face will be making an appearance in the next chapter. Please review once you have finished reading the story :D**


	4. Chapter 3: The Link Between the Cases

**Author's Note:**

**Reading back over the previous chapters, I have decided to take a different approach for this chapter. The entire chapter contains just two puzzles (and a true gentleman leaves no puzzle unsolved...) and focuses more on the narrative. Also, this chapter contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the Diabolical Box and the Unwound Future... Do enjoy and please review afterwards :D**

_Chapter Three: The Link Between the Cases_

A shattering of glass pierced the now-quiet street outside of Dr. Schrader's apartment building as a masked man leapt from the window sill and toppled towards the ground, landing smoothly on his feet. The Laytonmobile pulled up to the curb once more just in time to see him glance around briefly and then dash off in the opposite direction and around the corner.

"Shouldn't we follow him, Professor?" questioned Luke as he got out of the automobile, "He's clearly another one of those kidnappers!" Layton thought for a moment as the noise of a siren began to weave itself into the air from the distance.

"I think that we should take a look at the flat before anything else, Luke," he told the boy, "it seems that the most likely scenario is that Dr. Schrader's discovery is linked to the reason for his abduction. If we can uncover exactly what that discovery was to be, we may glean some clue as to the identity of these masked men and where they have taken my dear mentor."

The sirens were growing increasingly louder as the trio stepped back into the building and walked briskly towards the stairs. Stachenscarfen was sitting on the floor in the corner, still in a mild daze and muttering something about parrots. Flora looked at him pityingly for a few seconds before taking a few quick steps to catch up with the Professor who wanted to reach the room as quickly as possible – namely before the inevitable arrival of the police.

Stepping through the now doorless threshold, Layton gasped in horror as he took a glance around what had been the apartment of Dr. Schrader. The priceless artefacts were lying on the ground with their ropes severed as several pieces of loose string hung over them. Books had been scattered everywhere and the shelves on the far side of the room were completely empty. The table had been moved in the commotion and was now located a few inches away, in front of the window.

As for the Doctor's desk, the papers had all slipped onto the floor and a number of ink pens had fallen on them, smudging the words so that they were unreadable. It appeared that a number of books were missing from the pile and the drawers were lying open, contents completely stolen. Any chance of uncovering the truth behind what Dr. Schrader wanted to tell them that day was gone with the masked men.

"Do you think this was the reason that Dr. Schrader was taken, Professor?" asked Luke to Layton who was already taking a look out of the broken window towards the street as the sirens outside blared loudly and then suddenly stopped.

"I suspect so, Luke," Layton replied, "However; I have the feeling that there is far more to this particular case than meets the eye. What motive could they possibly have in stifling a discovery that could save so many lives as the Doctor believes?"

Flora had kneeled down next to the dinosaur skeleton, now partially broken, and was stroking it gently on the head as though it were a real animal. She sighed and gathered some of the papers together to try and read them.

"They've all been ruined, Professor," she told them, "The ink was smudged over most of these deliberately."

"And any potential information linking to the case is sure to be gone by now," the Professor confirmed. "Unless..." He quickly walked over to the sofa where they had been sitting earlier and then smiled as he reached down under the cushion. His hand connected with an object that had been wedged beneath, slipped down during the ransacking of the room it seemed. He pulled out the strange book that they had been examining earlier.

"Professor!" Luke exclaimed excitedly, "That's the book that Dr. Schrader gave us to look at when we first got here, isn't it?"Layton placed the book down on the table and flicked through a few of the pages again.

"Once more we find ourselves left with this clue..." he considered, "And we know that it has some connection to Dr. Schrader's research or he wouldn't have given it to us. I am going to take a good look at this."

Opening the book once more, Layton began examining the diagrams as he scrolled through the pages and his mind whirred. He thought about the possible links that the book could contain and tried to uncover the meaning behind the rituals in his head. Luke stood by his shoulder frowning and every so often glancing towards his mentor.

Flora twisted around on her seat on the floor towards one of the books that was on the Doctor's desk before. She went to pick it up but as she did so, there was a loud noise of footsteps coming up the stairs and a voice calling out "Layton, I know you're in there! What trouble have you caused in Dr. Schrader's office this time round, then?"

* * *

A few minutes earlier, a police car had pulled up outside Dr. Schrader's building and turned off its siren. Two characters that would have been familiar to Layton if he had seen them at the time got out of the car.

Inspector Chelmey sniffed the air and turned back to see Constable Barton scurrying behind him and taking notes on the area. Barton had been his assistant for a long time now and while the Inspector was easily irritated by Barton's manner, in reality he had a soft spot for the little man and was quick to cover his back when the time came. Barton regularly slacked off on cases to snack on something or to pay a trip to the local diner...

As Chelmey looked back round again, his eyes caught on a familiar looking vehicle parked outside the building and his expression contorted into a frown.

"So Professor Layton is here yet again..." he pondered to himself, "he always seems to turn up right before I am put on a big case. I sincerely hope I will not have to face another trek halfway across England to some fictional town or down into some stupid cavern all over again." He walked up the steps and into the foyer of the apartment block. Barton quickly scampered up them a few seconds after he did.

Inside the building, the first thing that caught his attention was a dazed man staggering across the room towards the lift with his hand on his head.

"Oi you!" Chelmey shouted, startling him, "Stop right there!" Stachenscarfen wheeled around and caught sight of the approaching inspector. He gulped.

"I haven't done anything wrong at all. I promise you that, Inspector!" he hastily told him, "I've been set-up, I tell you, set-up by that Layton fellow who-" Chelmey held out a hand to stop him and thought for a moment.

"So Layton is here," he asked Stachenscarfen, "Could you tell me about what has happened in the last hour?"

"Well..." Stachenscarfen began.

**

* * *

Puzzle 006: What time did Professor Layton first arrive at the apartments? (2 hints)**

"It must have been about 3; no 4 hours ago that Professor Layton and his troupe of dancing dwarves arrived at this castle."

"They marched up to the tower but then about 30 minutes after that, the evil minions of the dark lord Slagoroth arrived and kidnapped the king."

"The Professor came rushing down the stairs about 2 minutes after that and he slew the dragon using his sword in 3 minutes before rushing out and pursuing the chariot furiously with his black dogs of hell."

"About 1 hour later, he returned with the head of the dark lord and returned to the throne room upstairs. The king wasn't with him at that time unfortunately."

"And that's all I know about what happened..."

* * *

Chelmey scratched his head for a few moments and then turned around to Barton who looked equally confused.

"What's all this about a dragon and what not?" he asked Stachenscarfen who was now staring at the lift with his eyes narrowed.

"That giant robot has been eating people..." Stachenscarfen muttered to himself.

**Hint 1: "I think most of what Stachenscarfen just said is completely useless in figuring out what time Layton arrived, sir."**

"Yes, I know that, Barton," growled Chelmey, "This man's information is completely useless."

"Oh I wouldn't say that," piped up Stachenscarfen, "Have you heard about hint coins, Inspector?"

**Hint 2: "From the information we have, I think it is completely impossible to solve this mystery, Barton. The right person could get the right information however by thinking outside the box."**

And with that, Chelmey and Barton walked away up the stairs towards the apartment of Dr. Schrader, leaving a very confused Stachenscarfen examining a picture on the wall.

"Those idiots couldn't work out the puzzle," he said. "But you can't, can't you?" he told himself.

**

* * *

Puzzle 006 Solution:**

"The time that Professor Layton, Luke and Flora arrived at Dr. Schrader's apartments was just about 11 o'clock. You can find this answer simply by taking a look back at the description of their arrival. The clock clearly shows the time!"

Hold on, how did Stachenscarfen know about all of this?

* * *

By the time that Chelmey had wrung the full story out of Layton, it was already nearing the time for tea and after some insistence from Barton, they ended up drinking tea and eating some small cakes that had been kept in Schrader's cabinet sitting around the newly restored table.

"So I'm to understand that you had nothing to do with yet another crime committed against Dr. Schrader?" Chelmey asked as he scribbled down some messy handwriting on his notepad.

"I'm not saying that is completely the case, Inspector," Layton replied as he stirred his cup of tea, "I do believe that he may have been abducted just before he informed us of the promised discovery. A possible motive for these men may have been to prevent the information that Dr. Schrader had from escaping."

"It seems like that could be a viable reason for the abduction, if you are telling the truth..." Chelmey answered, "but I am afraid that until we have done a thorough search of this office and established whether these files were indeed taken, it will be impossible to say whether the reason that they searched the office was for this or in fact for something else."

Luke could still see the book that they had found inside Professor Layton's coat. He hoped that Inspector Chelmey would not find out that they had taken another object from a crime scene – the fact that he had found them in the office was incriminating enough already. Moreover, they always seemed to be around whenever Chelmey was forced into yet another long and hard case.

"Well, I guess that will be all then, Layton," Chelmey replied as he tugged on the end of his moustache, "I'll probably be in contact with you in the next few days about this crime again. Try not to get into any more trouble before then, will you?"

"Trouble always seems to have a habit of chasing after me, I think you'll find, Inspector," Layton told the bemused Chelmey as he stood up. "Come along, Luke and Flora, I think we ought to pay a quick trip to the library." The three walked out, deep in conversation about the masked men and the meaning behind their search of Dr. Schrader's flat. Behind them, Chelmey stood up.

"Barton," he growled, "Get an officer on this search. I think we ought to keep a close eye on Layton and his little friends. He's up to something and I know it. We can't let him get ahead of us on this case this time or we'll end up in the firing line yet again." Barton nodded and took a final bite of the cake before standing up and walking over to the phone on the desk.

_

* * *

Unsolved Mystery Added:_

_Dr. Schrader's Discovery – What exactly did Dr. Schrader intend to tell Layton, Luke and Flora that day before he was abducted by the masked men? What was taken from his ransacked flat and why would the men possibly be interested in it?_

* * *

The Laytonmobile pulled up outside the public library and the trio got out and hurried up the steps and into the building. The interior was decked with hundreds of shelves lining the walls with millions of words dabbled in ink across all the different pages of the books that it held. Layton walked up to the desk and rung the bell, winning him the attention of a nearby librarian who had been engrossed in a romantic novel.

"Yes?" she asked Layton, "Can I help you with anything?" Layton placed the book that he had got from Dr. Schrader's flat down on the desk and turned it around to face her. She looked down and then up again. "You want me to find out what I can about this book?" she asked.

"That was my intention," he replied, "I do hope it will not be too much trouble?"

"No, don't worry about it," she said with a stony face, "Let me just jot down some research information and if you wait over there, I'll be with you shortly." She examined the dusty tome carefully and then wrote down some words on a nearby piece of paper which she then carried over and into a storage room. Luke picked up the book and as he did so, some tiny pieces of paper fell out of it.

"Oh, Professor," Luke said, noticing the scraps of paper, "Something has fallen out of the book!" he said bending down to pick them up. Each one had a tiny number inscribed upon it. Layton hurried back over to Luke and retrieved the remainder, opening the book to find the page that they had came from. Inside, there were a few other numbers stuck onto the page with gaps between them.

"It appears to be some sort of puzzle..." Luke pondered, "I wonder what they could possibly all mean?"

**

* * *

Puzzle 007: What is the meaning behind the numbers from the book? (2 hints)**

Inside the book, there are a number of places where the numbers can go and some conditions that the order must meet. The slots look like:

?/?/?2/1/1?/?/?/?9

You must place: 2 0s, 3 1s, 2 2s, 1 4, 1 9

Each 0 must be to the right of a 2.

One of the 1s is in between two 9s.

1 is never second in any of the two-digit slots.

4 is next to a 1.

Decode the sequence of numbers to find the truth!

* * *

Layton carefully shifted the numbers about around the page and then frowned suddenly as he realised the answer behind the puzzle and the secret that it held.

"What is it, Professor?" Luke asked him, seeing his mentor's face.

"Take a close look at it, Luke," he told him, "Have you figured it out yet?"

"Not quite yet..." Luke replied as he shifted the numbers around.

**Hint 1: "To find the sequence of numbers, think logically and carefully – try placing the 1s first of all. There should be a 1 you can place right away."**

"Oh I see it, Professor," Luke said as he shifted the 1 into place. The other 1s quickly followed afterwards and then he slotted the remaining numbers into place, giving him the completed sequence.

"Can you see it now, Luke?" Layton asked him.

**Hint 2: "Can you see the single word behind the finished series of numbers?"**

Luke gasped as he realised the answer and then checked the numbers yet again. They met all the requirements – this was the real message.

Layton drew out a pen and then gently wrote in the word beneath the finished numbers...

**

* * *

Puzzle 007 Solution:**

By fulfilling all the requirements, you should be able to come up with a sequence that matches this:

1/20/12/1/14/20/9/19

The numbers each correspond to a particular letter of the alphabet. For example, 1 corresponds to A and 12 corresponds to L. Translating it, you end up with a single word:

Atlantis

So that's that puzzle sol- Hold on, Atlantis? Again?

* * *

Flora gasped as she too read the word that Professor Layton had written down on the page. "Atlantis," she stuttered in surprise, "but what does it all mean, Professor?"

"I've seen this strange word twice in two days, Flora my dear," Layton told the girl, "and I'm starting to wonder whether it is a coincidence." He looked up to see the Librarian approaching them.

"I've run a check on that book," she told them, "and I can confirm that the book is indeed very old and perhaps even archaic. Nothing else came up in the search unfortunately so you might be at a dead end here, I'm afraid..."

"On the contrary," Layton told Luke and Flora as the Librarian walked away, "I think a visit to Bell Street might be the next step in finding out exactly what has happened to my dear mentor..."

_

* * *

Unsolved Mystery Added:_

_Atlantis – The mysterious word that keeps turning up in peculiar places. It has been seen on both the message sent to Crystal Sparta after her daughter's death and the book that was in Dr. Schrader's possession. But can it really be related to the legendary city? And what is the real meaning behind the tome that Layton has?_

_

* * *

Still Unsolved Mysteries:_

_The Abduction – A group of mysterious masked men abducted Dr. Schrader from his house in London for some unknown reason. What reason could they possibly have to stage such an elaborate heist?_

_The Masked Men – Who are the mysterious hooded men who have abducted Dr. Schrader and seem to want nothing more but to stand in the way of Layton and his companions? Who is their leader and where have they come from?_


End file.
